Synopsis

Jess has decided it’s time to get out of her comfort zone and live a little. So when her best friend Bryony, a journalist on a gossip magazine, is sent to cover the Cannes Film Festival, Jess decides to seize the day and go along for the ride. Two weeks of sun, glamour and exclusive entry into celeb-filled parties is just the kind of adventure Jess needs.

Reality soon bites though when Jess and Bryony find they’re staying in a dingy hotel far away from all the action and Bryony’s expenses budget barely covers a glass of local wine. Undeterred, the two women are determined to live like the elite and enjoy one fancy night out to begin their holiday. So what if they have to tell a few white lies along the way? It’s just this once. No harm done . . . right?

Review

I have read Lisa’s previous novels and loved them all, you can guarantee she will put you in the mood for jetting off on a summer holiday when you read her Summer releases or cosy up by the fire for the Christmas novels, so there was no doubt in my mind that this one was going to be just perfection.

The cover is beautiful, the title is clever, and most importantly it has Lisa’s trademark humour. Add to this a bucketful of outrageous antics that are over the top, but if you can’t be over the top when you’re on holiday and in somewhere like Cannes, then when can you? If you have more money than you can possibly spend, your lifestyle is probably going to be pretty outrageous, so it was fun seeing Bryon and Jess, especially Jess,, living the life, even if you knew they were going to return from the holiday with a killer credit card bill.

Their antics were maybe spawned by their whole lies about being wealthy but lead to karaoke, staying in expensive hotel rooms for free and parties aboard super yachts to name a few. They were great fun to read, and naturally led to some funny scenes, for example when Jess is shopping for some glasses, but to some extent, it almost made Jess come more out of her shell, and also learn to take life as it comes and try to experience as much as she can, which is something I admire.

I really liked Jess, she was completely relatable. A bit of a closed book at the start about what pushed her to go on this holiday, but when she is more relaxed, her bubbliness shines through. Again, just like all of Lisa’s other leads, I would love to be her best friend, she was great fun to read.

Bryony had constant suspicion that there was bound to be a story deeper than the celebrity gossip that she hates but was sent to Cannes to cover. She was desperation to get into more serious journalism so I get she needed a story. She was such a great friend to Jess, and seeing them and their antics together was smile-inducing.

Leo was handsome and pretty much loved him from the get go, but some way through the book, I took a leaf from Bryony’s book and began to have my suspicions something was up, not quite to the dramatics that Bryony imagined, but something was up. Loved his character though, and also liked his friend as well.

This book is clearly another stunning summer novel from Lisa. It’s funny, outrageous in the best possible way with some heart to go with it.

Published by: Sphere
Gratefully received from the Publisher for review

Synopsis

Isobel Graves moved to LA determined to be the Next Big Thing. Instead, she is dressed as a giant prawn handing out fliers promoting a fish market. Rather than attending glamorous parties and dating exciting men, her evenings consist of watching box sets with her sort-of boyfriend, whose idea of romance is a late-night drunken text.

Where did it all go wrong?

When Isobel catches sight of Andrew Parker, her childhood sweetheart, in the background of a TV news story she feels it’s a sign. If she’d stuck with Andrew everything would have turned out better. Now she just needs to find him…

Review

I really enjoyed Rosie’s last book ‘How to Stuff Up Christmas’ and this one sounded even better, and I wasn’t wrong! The prologue starts in precisely the manner the book continues in, full of light hearted fun. It start at Isobel and Andrew’s wedding quite seriously, then there is a slight twist on the proceedings I certainly wasn’t expecting, and it was quite an original take on things. It made me laugh out loud for a good while, though I’m not sure Isobel would take quite the same outlook!

The hapless antics of Isobel and her quest to find Andrew was a great mixture of absolute fun and laughs. As you get to know Isobel and the cast of characters, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. Even more so when the book arrives in Tioman Island, Malaysia also known as paradise! I swear authors only set books in these lovely places so they can go on exotic holidays, all in the name of research. Not that I blame them!

Isobel hasn’t completed her goals after moving to L.A. and it is stuck in her mind that if she had stuck with Andrew, her life would be better. Hence her adventure to find him to find out once and for all. This is hugely admirable, but equally a bit of a mad idea.

Despite the plan being a bit stalker-like,you can’t help but fall in love with Isobel’s character. She is incredibly funny, especially her inner monologue. At one point she is questioned how she knows Andrew, and debates with herself how she was tempted to say ‘I’m his wife’ . When explained it doesn’t seem so funny, but in full context it really made me laugh. It’s moments like that which kept me smiling throughout.

Isobel’s best friend Mel is really funny too, especially when she is giving all the juicy details of her sex life to Isobel, who is far from keen on hearing it. Mel and Isobel’s chemistry together is great, even though through much of the book they are thousands of miles apart.

Andrew was a surprise in one way. Isobel built so much hype round him, I was expecting to be won over at some point in the book, but it shows Isobel hasn’t seen him in a long time, because when we do meet him, he doesn’t seem as fun-loving like Isobel and just didn’t seem into 90% of the conversations they had. I did like his friend Duncan though, he seemed a great laugh.
Zeb in complete contrast to Andrew really stood out. I loved his personality, and the way he teased Isobel, even if she didn’t always appreciate it.

This book was absolutely fantastic. Fun and light hearted, simply perfect for a summer read, or on holiday when escaping Britain’s cooler weather.

Synopsis

Sunshine, rock gods and Hollywood hearthrobs! Jessie Jefferson is back in the next instalment from bestselling author Paige Toon. Perfect for fans of Geek Girl, Jessica Cole and Girl Online.

Life as the undercover daughter of a rock god isn’t going to be easy. How will Jessie adjust to her old boring life again after spending her summer living it up with her dad in LA? With tough decisions ahead (and not just choosing between two hot boys), can she cope juggling her two very different lives?

Synopsis

Can one woman’s marriage survive her best friend’s divorce? Veronica Henry meets Erica James in this summer’s must-have read.
Octavia Shelton thought she’d have a different life. One where she travelled the world with an exotic husband and free-spirited children in tow.

Instead she’s married to safe, reliable Jonathan, and her life now consists of packed lunches, school runs and mountains of dirty washing. She’s not unhappy. It’s just that she can barely recognise herself.

So as Octavia watches her best friend’s marriage break up, it gets her thinking. What if life could be different? What if she could escape and rediscover the person she used to be? Escape back to the island she visited years ago? And what if the man she used to love was there waiting for her?